OnLeigh You

Well, if you recall, I threatened that we were dressing as deceased lifestyle artist Leigh Bowery for Halloween, and here are how the outfits turned out. They are a simple combination of 15 yards of fabric, four gloves, 500 pink paillettes, including those that have dropped off in my glittery wake, and a replica WWI helmet.
They are great to drink and dance in, but terrible to eat, negotiate cramped parties, and do rifle practice in. After 6 clubs and parties, a total of 6 people identified our artist, which was 5 more than we expected. I was somewhat surprised that when I ran into friends and acquaintances, I was recognized as myself with 100% accuracy. Apparently, my voice is distinctive, as is my propensity for yelling. However, two of my friends said that talking to me in the mask for extended periods of time was "creepy."
I found that answering the question "What are you?" with the actual answer, "Leigh Bowery", was tedious after awhile, because if we were not recognized immediately, giving the answer did not help the observer. Some of my alternative answers were:

I'm wearing a new garment that combines traits of Christian and Conservative Muslim faiths, and I'm calling it a Sex Burqua.

I'm a clown in the Federal Witness Protection Program.

I'm a member of the Gorgeous Ladies of Mexican Wrestling, GLOMW.

Probably the high point of the weekend's activities for me was when we ran a costumed 5K this morning, and when traversing a bum-populated overpass, several urban campers favored us with a rendition of "The Eye of The Tiger", by Survivor.

Our final count for Halloween was THREE costume contests won, one of which Thom had to pull off solo, and one of which we won despite having already left the bar.
Hooray!

Postscript: If you're interested in being Leigh Bowery this Halloween, two very nice costumes are available! Write me!

Farin Urlaub - Sumisu

For the Halloween season, enjoy this German pop song about the Smiths, set to a video about Nosferatu. And Morrissey. So, it's a German song about a British band, and the title is "Smiths" in Japanese. Welcome to the new world order. You know, the British invented Goth, but the Germans have really perfected it.

Postscript

FAQ's on my first Portland Marathon:

Q1. Did the St. Johns' Bridge suck?

A1. Maybe for babies. It wasn't nearly as rough as the Golden Gate bridge.

Q2. What deep thoughts did you have at mile 15?

A2. If someone had told me a year ago that I would want to stop at mile 15 and fill my socks with Vaseline, I would have called 'em crazy.

Q3. What was the best thing you saw all day?

A3. In industrial Northwest, a baby stroller with an English Bulldog puppy in it. That actually might be the best thing I've seen, ever.

Q4. Can you finish a long race without getting black toenails?

A4. Evidently not, no.

Q5. What was your super-secret 256K playlist on your $12 mp3 player?

A5. You can see it here, if you want to. When I was finishing, "Positive Vibrations" came up, and it was helpful, because I was just starting to think that time had stopped and that I would be trapped in the 25th mile in a Groundhog's Day manner.

Q6. What business did you most enjoy running past?

A6. The adult video store, Fat Cobra.

Q7. What kind of time did you finish in?

A7. I finished ten minutes under my estimated time at 5:20. I am happy with it. No, really, I am!

Q8. What deep thoughts did you have at Mile 23?

A8. Words that can be formed out of the letters in Portland: Art, Pot, Port, Land, Pardon, Patrol, Patron, Portal, Adopt, Adorn, Apron, Plant, Polar, Nodal, Opal, Drop, Pod, LARP, Lap, Pal, Rot, Tan, Nor, Toad, Rapt, Pond. Best Anagram: Pant Lord.

Q9. Did you hit "The Wall?"

A9. No, I just ran slowly for 5 hours, walked for twenty minutes, ate some cookies and went home.

Q10. What was the most Portland-y thing you saw?

A10. A runner in my pace group was not wearing shoes or a shirt, and had his timing chip taped around his ankle. His feet were uglier than most people's.

Q11. Can encouraging spectators pronounce "Badinia?"

A11. No, but it was nice of them to try.

Here is a picture of me and Hazel, after one of us ran a marathon and the other slept in and chewed on an artificial squirrel.